Patience? You’re kidding!

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I couldn’t believe that the Prime Minister would say publically for people to be patient about the situation up at Tafai’gata.

How can you talk like that? It’s like you don’t care about the rape of our women by the prisoners who run away from the prison?

So you mean to say e onosa’i lea fa’atoa amata le falepuipui as if there was no prison in Samoa before.

A leader of the government of the people for the people by the people should never utter such a thing, especially when the safety of our people, mainly women, has been compromised.

The lives of our people should be the apple of your eye and I’m amazed at how the P.M. can talk like this. So are you saying even if our women are getting raped by these escaped convicts our people should remain patient?

What if that was your daughter? Or a female relative? Will you still say the same thing?

Remember the poor tourist at Tiavi? She did not deserve what happened. It was your government’s failure to keep the prisoner at Tafai’gata.

Why don’t you tell her that to her face?

No wonder why there is so much trouble happening here.

I think the P.M. should think before he speaks. We are hurting a lot and it’s a shame because for a government that has been in power for so long, our people are still struggling with these basic issues. I remembered that just this year, my niece went with her partner to visit one friend in prison and she asked him, how is the toefuataina?

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He answered that there is no toefuataina ua na o le fa’ateleina o le leaga. It might sound funny but this is not okay.

I hope that more women will speak up about this issue. They should be like the brave woman “Malala.” Remember the Pakistan girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban?

“The state is meant to protect the rights of its citizens, a state is like a mother and a mother never cheats or deserts her children”.

I also want to share a poem by Martin Niemoller, who lived in Nazi Germany. It reads:

First they came for the communist, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist, then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I’m not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Catholic.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me”

So for me and my family’s safety; I have to speak out.

We cannot be patient when our safety is being compromised.

F.I.T

Lotopa/Vaimoso

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